May 2014 Ohio CASH E-News

May 2014 Ohio CASH E-News

“Discrediting Employment Credit Checks,” Tuesday, June 10, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 pm, will describe how credit checks discriminate against qualified workers and exclude them from the job market.Presenters will be Amy Traub, senior policy analyst at Demos, and Melissa Broome, senior policy advocate at the Job Opportunities Task Force. Amy will present findings from her national research on how this issue impacts workers. Melissa will share how advocates organized to get this practice outlawed in Maryland. Register for this webinar at http://bit.ly/SkuBsC.

Ohio CASH 2nd quarter meeting

Mark your calendars! The next Ohio CASH meeting will be held by webinar on Thursday, June 19, at 10 a.m. On the agenda: a presentation on the Cuyahoga County College Savings Program from Ken Surratt, special assistant to Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, and an update on payday lending from Linda Cook of the Ohio Poverty Law Center. There will be an opportunity for local organizations to share program updates. Please register for the meeting at http://bit.ly/1h9p7Xn.

Annual foreclosure report

Policy Matters Ohio’s 2013 foreclosure report, released earlier this month, found that foreclosures in Ohio decreased by 25 percent, but were still more than double the average from the 1990s. It also highlights that the state is no longer accepting applications to its main program that helps families avoid foreclosure. Recommendations include sustained funding to prevent foreclosure and funding to demolish or rehabilitate vacant and abandoned properties. Read the full report at http://bit.ly/RVhT2Z.

Payroll debit card survey

Payroll debit cards can help unbanked workers by allowing them to avoid check cashing fees, providing more security than carrying cash, and giving card holders the ability to make phone and online purchases. Employers may also save money by not printing paper checks. In 2012, employers loaded more than $34 billion onto 4.6 million payroll debit cards.

But problems exist with the cards. Some employers around the country are breaking the law by making it difficult for workers to choose other options. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released a bulletin reminding employers of the law, and will be releasing rules this summer.

Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation to prohibit this practice and to give enforcement authority to state regulators. Kalitha recently testified in support of this legislation and made additional recommendations to protect consumers. Read her testimony at http://bit.ly/1jVIIKI.

The National Consumer Law Center, the leading advocate for consumers on this issue, is asking anyone that has been offered a payroll debit card by an employer to complete this brief survey: http://svy.mk/QZZdyb. Please forward this to other organizations in your community.

Earned Income Tax Credit Overpayments

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman recently claimed that the EITC overpayment rate has topped 20 percent, citing a report by the Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analyzed Treasury’s findings and challenged its methodology in a report available at http://bit.ly/1gQCAsL.